Success of the global energy revolution – the shift from fossil to low-carbon power generation – hinges on the quality of the cable that underpins. Yet an estimated 20% of all cables in the UK are either substandard, counterfeit or non-approved.
Intermittency issues of wind and solar power supply are feared to jeopardize the stability of the U.S. power grid. To remedy this issue scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an “air-breathing” battery storage that, at the cheapest, run about $100/kWh and functions only in certain locations.
Japanese utility buyers have been busy to snap up US LNG, importing a total of 18 cargoes in both August and September, ahead of South Korea with 15 cargoes. Generating electricity from LNG remains vital for Japan, though Kyushu Electric aims to restart units 1&2 at its Sendai nuclear plant.
Wholesale power prices will increasingly hinge on zero marginal cost generators, such as variable renewables, which undermine the profitability of thermal power units. Cornwall Insight proposes to guarantee each generator at least their floor price for each MWh produced. The value would be determined in a competitive tender.
Japan’s largest utility JERA has notified the government about plans to build new combined-cycle gas power Units 7 & 8 at the Chita Thermal Power Station. The two 650 MW units are designed to reach a gross thermal efficiency of 63% and will be fuelled by regasified LNG.
Slowing oil and gas consumption as a result of the global green energy transition may lower the credit profile of national oil companies (NOCs). Oil majors can reduce this risk, according to Moody’s, by increasing their exposure to LNG assets and less carbon-intensive energy sources.
Rolls-Royce will deliver and install a Bergen gas engines in an onsite power unit at the Dhamra LNG terminal in India, based on an order from DLTPL, a joint venture between Adani Group and Total. The Dhamra LNG terminal is due for commissioning towards the end of 2021.
AES Corp, a global Fortune 500 energy provider, is preparing to operate its power stations at Alamitos and Huntington Beach remotely to ensure continuity and leverage staffing. The Virginia-based utility will employ GE software at a new central control centre due to be built by early 2021.
US oil and gas major ExxonMobil has been given regulatory approval to build a LNG import terminal and power project at the northern Vietnamese port city of Haiphong. The project is meant to start generating electricity by 2026, though ExxonMobil has yet to confirm it is going ahead.
Thailand’s B.Grimm Power gained approval from the Provincial Electricity Authority to service more industrial customers near the Map Ta Phut LNG regas terminal. The Thai IPP is building 700 MW of gas-fired capacity, and arranged two LNG licences with a view to start importing as early as 2022.
Siemens has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-based Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service that helps shield the energy industry from cyber-attacks. Powered by Eos.ii, the solution gathers real-time energy asset intelligence to monitor, detect and uncover attacks before they occur.
The latest round of Germany's green energy tenders has spurred a run on combined solar and storage, while onshore wind energy tenders were undersubscribed yet again. The German regulator initiated an ‘innovation auction’ for 650 MW projects that combine fluctuating onshore wind or solar PV with biomass and energy storage.
News in Brief
Mott McDonald starts construction on ALCP6
Oct 20 – US construction firm Mott McDonald has started building the ALCP6 waste to energy project in Krabi province, southern Thailand. The plant will incinerate 144,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste, and the heat obtained will be converted into 6 MW of electricity to be exported to the Thai national grid.
Brace for EU sustainable finance rules
Oct 19 – Sustainable finance practices, drawn up by the European Commission, could create a "bureaucratic monster" that smaller companies and energy investors would find overbearing, the Munich-based Institute for Economic Research (ifo) warned. The regulation should hence prioritise closer scrutiny of large and listed companies.
UK could become net power exporter
Oct 16 – Increased interconnection could provide a route for excess offshore wind power in Britain to be consumed elsewhere in Europe. National Grid Interconnector Register shows up to 16 GW of interconnection could be operational by 2025 and up to 25.4 GW by 2030.
Wärtsilä to deploy GridSolv in US city
Oct 15 – AEP OnSite Partners has contracted Wärtsilä to deploy its GridSolv Quantum energy storage in the city of Martinsville, Virginia. The system includes an UL9540A limiting 2-hour battery firewall and will help lower the city’s energy costs.
Rolls-Royce spends $13.9m in Mankato
Oct 14 – Britain’s engine maker Rolls-Royce has decided to invest nearly $14 million in its Power System business to build a new R&D centre at its MTU manufacturing plant in Mankato, Minnesota, US. The expansion will see 28,000 square foot added to the facility’s existing hall, making room for the production of high-power MTU gas gensets, enhanced product testing and the creation of 20 new manufacturing positions.
Clarke commissions Vitalait power unit in Tunisia
Oct 13 – Clarke Energy and INNIO Jenbacher have completed the commissioning of an onsite power plant of a milk producer in Tunisia. The installation of another Jenbacher gas engine has increased the plant’s output to 4 MW of electricity as well as 1,100 kW of hot water and 800 kW of steam.
Secondary battery market to top $55bn
Oct 12 – Technavio expects the secondary battery market to grow by $55.62 billion through 2024, rising at an 11% rate over the forecast period. Falling costs for lithium-ion batteries as well as growing demand in Asia Pacific allowed the market to grow 2.01% this year, despite adverse effects of the pandemic. Top battery suppliers are Tesla, Clarious, Exide, LG Chem, GS Yuasa and Samsung.
Shift to sustainable tech
Oct 9 – Three quarters of utilities, surveyed by EIT InnoEnergy, are considering adopting sustainable technology over the next 12-18 months. However, over one third of the respondents found it hard to recruit the skills they need.
Generator rentals slow
Oct 8 – The rental market for power generators has slowed down due to the pandemic, with genset rentals from the oil and gas industry forecast to grow by just $153.87 million this year. However, Technavio expects the market will return to a 3% annual growth rate by 2024.
GE upgrades Italian CHP
Oct 7 – GE has completed an axial fuel staging upgrade on its 9E gas turbine at an onsite combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Milazzo refinery in Sicily. The entire electricity needs of the refinery, over 780 GWh in 2019, will soon be supplied by the upgraded and more flexible gas turbine.
Operating assets ‘from anywhere’
Oct 6 – GE Digital’s latest software gives electric utilities remote and mobile control over their power stations for remote start-up, external monitoring and operational fine-tuning. The goal is to safe cost through autonomous operation from any location.
Chart wins order from New Fortress Energy
Oct 5 – Chart Industries has secured a second leasing order, worth $7.7 million, for ISO containers for LNG applications from New Fortress Energy for a project in the Caribbean. The US equipment maker sees double digit near-term growth in its repair, service and leasing business, notably from growing demand for LNG equipment for infrastructure.
Siemens energises Togo
Oct 2 – Siemens Energy has delivered a SGT-800 gas turbine and other components for the Kékéli Efficient Power plant project. Located in the Togolese capital Lomé, the 65 MW plant will cover almost 40% of country’s expected electricity demand.
Batteries get cheaper
Oct 1 – Cost for battery production is falling rapidly as manufacturers bring large Gigafactories on-line. By 2030, Bloomberg New Energy Finance anticipates battery pack prices to drop to $73 per kilowatt-hour, down from a current volume-weighted average of below $270/kWh.
Barclays may help fund Rolls-Royce
Sept 30 – UK’s prime engine maker Rolls-Royce is understood to be close to getting fresh financing from Barclays Bank. The Derby-based company, however, insists no final decision has been taken on the precise amount that may be raised or any allotment of shares to any investor.
Petronas to truck LNG to off-grid users
Sept 29 – Petronas Dagangan Group is gearing up to build a LNG truck delivery service for off-grid customers in Peninsular Malaysia. Trucks fitted with cryogenic tanks will bring the super-chilled fuel to remote industries and small-scale power generators with no access to the natural gas grid. Malaysia’s Peninsular Gas Utilisation (PGU) pipeline is only 2,500 kilometers in length and was initially built to export gas to Singapore.
Siemens to reduce emissions at NLNG
Sept 28 – Nigeria LNG has contracted Siemens Energy to provide a cryogenic boil-off gas (BOG) compression train for its liquefaction plant on Bonny Island. The new BOG train will be driven by an high-efficiency electric motor and includes two compressors. Manufactured in Duisburg, Germany, the equipment will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2021.
